Fire-control apparatus



$"-f 1 AL I 1,776,783

FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Dec. 12, 1927 Patented- July 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE HEINRICH J'US'1 AND HERMANN, HQRT, OF ESSEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO FRIED. KRUPP AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

FIlfRE-CONTROL APPARATUS Application filed December 12, 1927.8eria1 No. 239,576, and in Germany December 23, 1926.

This invention relates to a fire control apparatus intended for a plurality of naval guns having a common commanding station, on which a sighting device is arranged of a design as described in Letters Patent (patent application Ser. No. 209,119 of July 28, 1927). The object of this invention is to so improve these apparatus, that all the guns of a battery can be fired simultaneously by means of a firing circuit which is closed by the sightin device. I

Tn the drawing is illustrated by way of example a fire control apparatus designed in accordance With the invention. In this draw- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, looking in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the ship, partlyin section, of the fire control apparatus.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking from the top.

A denotes the ships body and A a pedestal rigidly mounted thereon and arranged at the commanding station. By means of a pivot for rotation on pedestal A 1 This supporting body forms the frame, laterally trainable' in the direction of the aim, of the sighting device and has a training gear comprising a hand wheel C mounted on the supporting body B. This training gear is connected to the training gears D of the individual guns, of which only one is shown in'the drawing, by means of an electric long distance control device comprising a transmitter and a number of receivers d) corresponding to the number of guns. An adjusting device d is provided for the receiver 01 so that an additional angular displacement can be introduced and the guns can be laterally trained individually and separately relative to the lateral training of the sighting device located atthe commanding station.

On the arcuate supporting body B, the axis o fq-curvature of which intersects the axis of pivot-b in a point 1, a semi-circular adjustable body E is mounted for rotation around said axis ofcurvature. A hand wheel F fast 6 on. shaft f f is provided to eifect the adjustment of 'member E' through the intermediation of b an arcuate supporting body B is mounted crosses the axis of the trunnions e at right angles in point 1. Casing H supports a gyroscope and carries the sighting telescope H The casing H has mounted-on it an arcuate body J adapted to rotate around the axis of the trunnions h and to be adjusted relative to the Cardan ring G by means of a gearing (not shown) in opposition to the elevating motion ofthe adjusting body E to a firing angle A that corresponds to the distance of the aim with a determined average degree of corrosion of the gun barrels, that means with a determined average muzzle velocity. To effect this adjustmentan electric followthe-pointer longdistance control apparatus is provided which comprises a transmitter casing K and a wiring L by means of which apparatus the motion of the following pointer is transmitted to the body J. The details of this control apparatus correspond in principlc to those of the corresponding apparatus of the sighting device described in the above mentioned patent and need therefore not be described in detail. The arcuate body J carries a roll mark 2' and a firing tongue 2' and a roll mark h and a firing tongue h are arranged on casing H adapted to register with i and tongue 1? respectively. The firing tongues 71 it constitute the contactor for a; firing circuit common to all the guns, which-circuit comprises, besides this contactor that automatically arrives in closing position upon the ship, rolling, an additional manipulativ contactor.

The shaft f has fixed on it a bevel wheel f in mesh with a bevel wheel m fast on a shaft M. The latter is connected with a following pointer arranged on a casing N, of anotlir electric follow theointer long distance control apparatus. device, comprising a hand wheel N for ad'usting additional angles is provided for t e electrically adjustable pointer belonging to this long distance control apparatus, the adjustment of which pointer is effected in correspondance with the average firing angle A The shaft M is further connected by means of a gear m n with the transmitter N of a third electric follow-the-pointer long distance apparatus. The transmitter'N is electrically connected by wires P to receivers Q, provided for the elevating gear of the individual guns. Each elevating gear comprises a hand Wheel S mounted on the carriage R, and a toothed segment mounted on the cradle of the gun barrel T, a shaft U mounted on the carriage B being positively connected with segment 6 Shaft U serves to actuate the following pointer of the receiver Q which is arranged on carriage R. As can be seen from the foregoing, an elevation corresponding to the firing angle A can be imparted to the axis of the Cardan trunnions 6 according to the indications of the receiver N by turning hand wheel F and to each gun barrel according to receiver-Q of long distance control apparatus N P, Q, by turning hand Wheel S. A device Q intended for the introduction of additional elevating angles is connected to each receiver Q, which device makes it possiblefor an additional elevation, required due to the degree of corrosion of the respective gun barrel, to be taken into account so that each gun barrel may have imparted to it an elevation that deviates from that of the axis of the Cardan trunnions e by an additional amount of elevation which it requires.

With the aid of the described installation "the firing operation takes place in the following 'manner The average firing angle A corresponding to the distance of the aim is adjusted from the calculating station of the ship on the receivers of the long distance control apparatus K and N of the commanding station. According to the indications of these receivers, the arcuate body J with the mark 2' and tongue i is adjusted downwardly by the firing angle through-the intermediation of connection L and at the same timeupwardly when the hand Wheel F see Fig. 2,'is turned to adjust the body E and the Cardan ring by the firing angle A After these adjust- 'ments the roll marks 2' h and the firing tongues 71 it exactly register, when the ship assumes horizontal floating position andthe sighting line of the telescope H is horizontal. Upon the ship rolling, the telescope H is held pointed on the aim horizontally and vertically by the stabilizing effect of the gyroscope and by rocking it by means of hand wneel C. When the aim has such a.

position, that the sighting line is not exactly horizontal, but deflects from horizontal posi-' tion by a certain angle, the roll marks 5%, h do not register in the horizontal position of the ship, but register only during therolling elevating gear S, P, that the following pointer of the long distance control apparatus N P, Q, Q P, S is opposite to the appurtenant electrically adjusted pointer of the receive Q. When no additional amount of elevation is to be introduced, the axes of the bores of the gun barrels are then parallel to the axis of the Cardan trunnions e or, when such an additional amount is to be introduced, they deviate from the direction of said latter axis (6 6 only by the corresponding regulating angle. Thus the axes of the bores of the gun barrels are in correct position as to both elevational and lateral direction. The commander of the battery now observes on the commanding station the roll marks 7?, h As soon as he has ascertained, that these marks pass past one another upon the ship rolling, and the sighting device and the guns are also in correct position in other respects, then he closes the additional contactor provided in the firing circuit, whereupon all shots of the battery are fired automatically and simultaneously with the next rollingthrough of the firing tongue 71 As all gun barrels T are in their cor ect position with respect to the axis of the Cardan trunnions e and as .this Cardan axis assumes its correct position too, all shots are fired with the gun barrels in correct position in space.

When the ship has a list in the direction of the shots, that is, a list angle is to be taken into account, it may happen that the roll marks 2, 71. do not travel past one another -upon the ship rolling, so that the tongues i", it do not register and thus the shots are not fired. In this case the commander introduces on the receiver N by means of the device N an additional counter-list angle in addition to the firing angle A indicated by the calculating station, whereupon the operator of the commanding station alters the angular position of the body E by the same additional counter-list angle by means of hand wheel F This counter-list angle is so determined, that the roll marks i it now travel past one another towards both sides by equal amounts. The transmit-' ter N transmits the additional counter-list tangle to the receivers Q, of all guns, whereupon this angle is introduced in the guns also. This done, the shots will be fired correctly in the above-described manner.

another with certainty. The elevation is then altered both on the sighting device and on the guns in correspondence to these small counter-list angles. As soon as the additional contactor then has been closed and the tongues i k touch one another, all shots are fired simultaneously.

The advantage afforded by the described arrangement primarily resides in the fact,

that a reliable and uniform fire government is made possible with the simplest means.

Claims: 1. A fire control apparatus for a plurality of guns mounted on a rocking foundation comprising a sighting device having a mount- 'usting additional angles of rotation wherey the angle of list can be eliminated.

The foregoing specification signed at Cologne Germany, this-25th day of November, 192i.

HEINRICH JUST. HERMANN N. HORT.

ing arranged on said foundation, a sighting.

means carrier cardanically supported on said mounting, means for adjusting one of the cardanic axes in accordance with the firing angle and a gyroscope rotatable about an axis fixed on said sighting means carrier, an electrical firing device having two contact members adapt-ed to register one with the other when said cardanic axis is properly adj usted for elevation, and means for adjusting each of said guns in accordance with the firing angle in accordance with the adjustment of said cardanic axis.

2. In a fire control apparatus according to claim 1 a long distance control apparatus for adjusting each of the guns for elevation comprising a transmitter associated with said means for adjusting said cardanic axis and a receiver associated with each of the guns.

- 3. In a fire'control apparatus according to claim 1, a long distance control apparatus for adjusting each of the guns for elevation comprising a transmitter associated with said means for adjusting, said cardanic axis and. a receiver assoclated with each of the guns,

said receivers being-provided with means for adjusting additional elevating angles.

4. In a fire control apparatus according to claim 1 a long distance control apparatus having a receiver associated with said means for adjusting said cardanic axis for elevation and another long distance control apparatus for adjusting each of the guns in accordance with the firing angle comprising a transmitter associated with said means for adjusting said cardanic axis and a receiver associated with each of the guns.

5. In a fire control apparatus according to claim 1 a long distance control apparatus comprising a receiver associated with said means for adjusting said cardanic axis and a device associated with said receiver for ad- 

